What Mohammad Kaif Said About India's Defeat That Hurt Australia's Ego?

image-lp9o1xhzAustralian players celebrating their 2023 World Cup win (x.com)

Unbeaten Team India had their World Cup 2023 juggernaut disrupted by Australia on the day of the finals in Ahmedabad. Under Rohit Sharma, the ‘Men in Blue’ charted 240 upfront before Travis Head overhauled the total to give Australia their sixth World Cup title.

In spite of the one-sided result, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif was not willing to accept Australia as world champions as he said the Indian team was more deserving of the title owing to their consistent performances throughout the tournament.


Kaif says India had the best World Cup 2023 side

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif, while giving his expert analysis for broadcasters of the 2023 World Cup 2023, congratulated the Australian team following their emphatic win at the title clash against tournament favourites India.

However, the cricketer-turned-commentator also added that he was not willing to accept Australia as the new world champions and claimed that it was Team India that emerged as the most consistent side of the competition. He said:

"Congratulations to Australia but I am not ready to accept that the best team won the World Cup. This Indian team has been the best side. They would win so many times playing against the same Australian team, even though they lost today. It was one of those bad day, this happens sometimes."

A couple of days after the final, Mohammad Kaif took to X (formerly Twitter) and further elaborated his remarks by praising captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for instilling an “aggressive” style of cricket into the team.

The Indian team did exhibit unreal consistency prior to the finals, as they entered the title clash being the only unbeaten side of the tournament. Earlier, the ‘Men in Blue’ became the first team to qualify for the semifinals owing to their unbeaten run and they finished the league stage at the top of the points table.

Even in the semifinals, a Virat Kohli batting masterclass and a Mohammed Shami special with the ball helped India trounce New Zealand in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.